This Month, Get Really Comfortable With the Unknown

On May 21, 2018

From May 21 to June 21 on the Western Zodiac calendar, the sun will be traversing Gemini territory. Gemini, the first air sign, is associated with the figures of Castor and Pollox in Greek mythology. These twin brothers were also demigods, born at the same time from different fathers. Castor was a mortal, born from King Tyndareus and Queen Leda of Sparta. Pollox’s father was Zeus, who seduced Leda while wearing the guise of a swan.

Castor and Pollox had a spontaneous, wild energy. They are the gods of St. Elmo’s fire, appearing to sailors as signs in electrical discharge on the riggings of ships. They are known for their recklessness and wild nature, and their presence can be felt in the spontaneous and wild energy of Gemini season.

The twins were reckless and duplicitous, unafraid to turn their back on their own family. But to one another, they were loyal eternally. When Castor was killed in the course of stealing some cattle from members of their own family, Pollox decided to share his immortality with him. The twins left the earthly realm to alternate between living in Hades for six months and on Mount Olympus for the other. That’s why the Gemini constellation is only visible for half of the year.

Gemini season asks us to embrace the dual natures of our own souls: the schism between our higher selves and our mortal bodies on the ground. Embracing the energy of this season requires us to make peace with the fact that each one of us contains different facets of self — what Jung referred to as the conscious ego and the unconscious id. These are the twin aspects of identity that each one of us contains.

The sign of Gemini is often perceived as one associated with tricksters; people who will show one side of themselves only to unexpectedly reveal another, darker side. Geminis are performative by nature, people pleasers who know how to keep a room entertained. Geminis are effortlessly charismatic, and they genuinely want to people to feel happy and pleased. But where others might suppress the shadow aspects of self or keep dark desires secret, Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication. They can keep nothing secret from anyone, not even themselves. Their social nature can lead them to engage in gossip which in turn gives them the appearance of being untrustworthy.

Although there is power in keeping secrets, sharing information is how we go about building community. Safety and security doesn’t come from calling the police, but through constructing networks of information. By knowing and recognizing the shadow aspects of other people, Gemini is able to spread information that keeps a community feeling safe and seen. Gemini season, should we choose to embrace it, gives us the ability to really talk and communicate with one another, without censoring ourselves out of fear of being shamed. When St. Elmo’s fire appeared to sailors on the rigging of ships it was often a terrifying display; but this apparition contained the message that the twins Castor and Pollox were keeping them safe from storms ahead.

Gemini season calls on us to embrace our own dualities, and find peace with the precariousness of our own identity. It urges us to stay fluid and adaptable to our surroundings, while still retaining a core sense of self. There’s resiliency in knowing who you are and in discovering the process of your own individuation; at the same time, community evolves from the constantly changing ways in which we relate to one another as human beings. Proliferating and thriving requires us to recognize aspects of ourselves in the other. It requires us to share resources and engage in collaborative acts of love that ultimately reveal our best selves, inclusive of the shadow within.— by C. Luce Christensen

C. Luce Christensen is an Aquarius, writer, and professional Tarot card reader.